Electrical conductor



P 29, 1931- J. A. SHEPARD 1,824,934

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR Filed Feb. 3, 1928 INVENTOR Jami; 6. SHE/"#20 ATTORNEY Patented Sept; 29, 1931 UNITED STATES FATE/NT omen JAMES A. SHEPARD,

F mou'roon FALLS;

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO SHEPARD-NILES CRANE & HOIS T CORPORATION, OF MONTOUB FALLS, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR 7 Application filed February 3, 1928. Serial 110-2513. s

of the invention is to provide a conductor (purposes characterized by suitable. for such to its novel form an the advantages in its intended use which result from its novel form.

More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide a conductor for the purpose specified of such form that it may be assembled, connected to its supports and to supipl condo tors and bonded in an eli'ective' all sarily requiring any field drilling or punching operations on theconductor.

to n the preferred mode of carr' ing out the invention, I rovide one or more ongitudinal slots in the at side of the body, or of a barlike web portion of a conductor, which may be in the form of an an le bar, a T'-bar, afiat 33 bar, or other suitable ro led shape, and I make connections to the conductors by means of set screws threaded through o enings on supporting, or connection parts, undhaving I their ends seated in the conductor slots. Preferably, each such connection or supporting part is formed with a kerf or roove receiving the body or barlike web portion of the corresponding conductor or conductors, and has one or more set screws threaded through the side wall of the part, each with its inner end received in the corresponding conductor slot.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are ointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and formin a part of this specification. For a better un' erstanding of the invention, however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section of a preferred form of my invention;

esirable manner, and without neces= Fig. 2 is asection on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and I Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. In the drawings A represents an elongate metallic conductor of the type commonly known as a T-bar conductor having a flan e A adapted to be engaged at its undersi e by a traveling contact device and havin an upper vertical web A which is engaged at suitable points along its length by conductor supports. As shown in the drawings the conductor A is suspended from a supporting structureB through insulators C bolted to the structure B. Each insulator C, of which only one is shown in the drawings, is rovided with a bolt D having its head embe deed in the insulator, and having its lower end threaded into a metallic block E. The latter is formed at its end side with a slot E adapted to receive the vertical web A of the conductor A. The conductor A is ordinarily made of mild steel, galvanized to protect against oxidation and to smooth its surface as wellv as to/improve its appearance. A

In so far as above described, the conductor and its supports do not depart from the usual practice of the art. Heretofore it has been customary to secure such a conductor to the metal blocks E by means of bolts passing through the vertical conductor web A This mode of'connection ordinarily requires that the bolt holesbe drilled or punched in the field as the exact location required for such holes ordinarily cannot be predetermined. In accordance with the present invention a groove A is rolled in one sideof the web A of the conductor and the latter is secured in each an porting block E by a bolt or set screw F formed through one side wall of the slot E. Preferably the end F of the bolt is tapered so that while bearing against the bottom of the groove A it willalso fit snugly against the side wallsofthe groove Af'which are oppositely inclined to correspond to the taper ofthe bolt end, With this arrangement the conductor may berigidly and positively secured to each supporting block E quickly and easily, and without any field screwed into a threaded opening two 7 or :more bolts 7 effective connection drilling, punching, or other machine operation.

The special form of the conductor A described, also facilitates the connection thereto of feeder or supply conductors, and the bonding together of sections of the conductor A when, as is frequently necessary, there are two or more end toend sections. To attach a supply conductor H to the T-bar conductor A, I advantageously employ a metallic part tical web A of the T-bar conductor and is formed with a threaded opening in one limb to receive'a screw FA having a tapered end FA shaped like the end F of the bolt F to engage the side Walls as wellas the bottom wall of the slot A thus insuring a relatively large and effective contact surface area.. As

' shown, thebolt FA passes through the metal conductor I-Ifat the end of the conductor H,

and a nut I on the bolt FA forms a means for clamping the conductor H against the side of the yoke G.

The adjacent ends of end to end sections of the T-bar conductor may advantageously be connected together by means of a yoke shaped part The latter. may be similar in form to'the part G, except thatthe part GA is preferably elongated to permit of the use 'of FE for securing the yoke GA to each of the connected sections ofthe T-bar conductor. Thebolts FB maybe similar in form to the bolts F and FA. The yoke GA with, its bolts FB form, a simpleiand between the connected sections, which is desirably strong and rigid from the mechanical standpoint, and which provides an effective electric bond between the sections.

My inventionis characterized by its simplicity, effectiveness and relatively low cost of manufacture. The expensive and time consuming labor necessary in prior assembly operations is eliminated in theform of the apparatus disclosed with-' out departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims and'that in some cases certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features."

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: V

1. The combination with an electrical conductor adapted for. use in supplying current inan overhead travelling crane system and comprising a bar-like Web portion having flat sides and a lower edge portion arranged to form a contact surface, of a block having a e ductor in position in said block G of yoke-like form which fits over'the ver while increasingthe efficiency of the connections.

tending a substantial distance longitudinally of said Web portion and a screw member extending through the side of said block and into said groove and supporting said con- The combination'with an electrical conductor adapted for use in supplying current in'an overhead travelling crane system and comprising a bar-like web portion having flat sides and a lower edge portion arranged to form a contact surface, of a 'blockhaving a narrow vertical slot adapted to receive said webportion in its lower end,and means for assembling said conductorand block with said web portion in intimatecontact with the sides of said block slot comprisingfa horizon tal groove formed in one side and extending a substantial distance longitudinally of said web portion and a screw member extending through the side of said block and into said groove and supporting saidconductor in surface contact therebetween;

3. The comb'nation with a pair of lic electrical conductorsadapted for use in supplying current in an overhead travelling. crane system and each comprislng a bar-like web portion havingflat sides and a lower surface'arranged to form a contact surface, said conductors being provided with an anti-corrosive metallic coating, of a metalv lic connecting block having a narrow vertical slot therein adapted to receive. said web portions in its lower end, and means for as-- sembling said conductors in endto end relation in said block with said webportions in intimate contact with the sides of said block slot comprising a groove formed in; one side and extending a substantial distance longitudinally of each web portion and screw members extending through the side ofsaid block andinto said grooves. and supporting said conductors in position in saidblock, whereby an intimate surface contactis pro vided between said web portionsand block While maintainin unbroken. V c

Signed at Montour Falls, in the county of, Schuyler and State of New York,'this 27th day of January A. B11928. z a

1 JAMES'A. SHEPARD the conductor coatings 

